


You Make My Dreams Come True

by megr0se



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Cafe AU, Fluff, M/M, i cant write angst sry i can only write soft shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-10-23 16:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17687114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megr0se/pseuds/megr0se
Summary: Calum, Michael and Duke stumble across a small cafe, where they meet Ashton.Duke takes a shine to Ashton,and maybe Calum does, too.ora cafe au, flirting and cute dogs





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi again!
> 
> hope we all like fluffy cafe au's, bc this is one of 'em
> 
> this idea came to me when i was daydreaming at work and i haven't stopped thinking about it. it's just short n sweet, hope u enjoy!!

It’s so hot in L.A. Too hot, Calum thinks as he walks down the street, Duke plodding along next to him. The heat came on suddenly, and Calum is not dressed for this weather. He pulls his red shirt away from his body, letting some air hit his skin, feeling the fabric stick to his sides.

“I need something to drink before I die,” Michael whines, looking over at Calum and blowing out a huge puff of air. 

Calum nods in agreement. “Yeah, I need to sit down,” he breathes, wiping his forehead on the back of his hand, pushing his blonde hair back. The two men cross the street as Michael points to a small cafe with outside seating, “What about there?” he asks. 

Calum shrugs, “Yeah, whatever, as long as they have something cold that I can pour all over myself, I don't care,” he says, pulling a panting Duke towards the seated area. “Come on, mate,” he says, gently tugging on Duke’s lead, smiling when he looks up at him with a wagging tail. 

Michael falls down onto a cushioned chair, taking his hat off and sighing in relief, looking around for a waiter.

Calum sits down, tying Duke’s lead to the arm of his chair, leaning over to scratch behind his ears. He reaches over to take a look at the menu when he hears loud music ring out over the cafe. He follows the sound of Hall and Oates’ _You Make My Dreams,_ and sees a man coming through the door. He’s dressed in all black, his shirt buttoned low on his chest and tucked into tight jeans. His hair is bright red, curly and styled high off his face, he’s grinning and mouthing along to the song as it plays out. Calum doesn't realise he's staring until the guy catches his eye and makes his way over to his table, taking a small white book out of his back pocket and removing a pen from behind his ear. 

“Hey guys!” he says, his smile still blinding. “What can I get you?”

Michael opens his mouth to answer when Duke lets out a high pitched yip, effectively cutting him off. Calum frowns down at his dog, but he finds him wagging his tail wildly, shaking Calum’s chair with the force of his excitement. 

“Hey, what’s up buddy?” Calum says softly, smoothing a hand over Duke’s head, but he just ignores his owner, still focusing on the man in front of him.

Calum starts to apologise, but holds back when he sees the man’s face grow impossibly brighter. He pushes the sleeves of his shirt up his tanned arms, revealing a few tattoos littered across his skin. He looks at Calum again before asking, “May I?” pointing down at Duke.

Calum just smiles, still confused by his dog’s behaviour. “Yeah, of course.” 

The guy grins again as he crouches down, placing his notebook and pen on the floor so he can pet Duke with both hands. Duke jumps up excitedly to meet him before sitting back down, his tail still wagging. “Hello darling,” the man says in a high pitched voice, the kind people only use when talking to dogs. “What’s your name?” he asks, Duke responding by licking his hand gently.

Calum looks on with what he can only imagine is a sickly fond expression, “It’s Duke,” he says.

The man’s eyes flit to Calum for a second before he gives Duke all his attention once more. “Duke?!” he gasps, laughing when the dog lets out an excited bark as if in confirmation and jumps a little in his arms. “Wow, aren't you so handsome?” he says, taking Duke’s paw in his hand and shaking it gently. “Nice to meet you, too.” 

Calum laughs along with him and the man seems to quickly catch himself. Calum watches as he coughs quietly and pushes himself up with one last pat to Duke’s head. His cheeks are tainted pink when he picks his book up again and runs a hand through his hair. 

“Sorry, I’ll take your orders now,” he says gently, clearly embarrassed. 

Calum can’t stop the wave of disappointment that washes over him when the guy silently takes their drink orders without meeting his eyes again. He nods at them, tapping his pen against his book, “I’ll be right back with your drinks,” he says before turning away and walking quickly back inside. Calum watches him go, blindingly stroking over Duke’s soft fur when he hears him let out a sad whine. 

Calum’s eyes are drawn away from the closed door when Michael coughs loudly from next to him. Calum looks over and finds his friend smirking at him, his eyes full of mirth. Calum gives him a confused look when Michael still says nothing, only letting out a smug little noise as he shakes his head.

“What? What’s with the face?” Calum asks.

Michael pushes his sunglasses up into his hair, schooling his face into a blank expression. “Nothing,” he says, stretching in his seat. “He was nice, wasn't he?” he says, nodding towards the cafe’s entrance. Calum follows his eyes for a second before looking back at his friend, one eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah,” he says, drawing out the word, questioningly. “What are you getting at?” 

Michael rolls his eyes dramatically, “Come on, Cal. The dude was all over Duke and he’s 100% your type,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

Calum splutters for a second before rolling his eyes too, “Shut up, mate,” he says, leaning back in his chair, hoping it seems natural and not like his heart has been beating a mile a minute since he sat down. 

Michael just laughs and playfully smacks Calum on the arm, “He is! Red hair, tattoos, smiley as fuck, loves dogs, that’s your fucking wet dream, mate,” Music sounds through the air again, and Calum just about breaks his neck with how quickly he looks towards to door, seeing their waiter returning with their drinks. Calum stutters out a quick, “Shut the fuck up,” to a laughing Michael just as the man reaches their table. 

He places their drinks down, smiling once again. Duke barks excitedly again, causing the man to look down at him with a smile. “Here’s your drinks,” he says, looking at Calum. “Do you want me to grab a water bowl for Duke here?” he asks, and Calum just about melts.

“Yeah, that would be great, thanks,” he stammers again, managing a smile when the waiter excuses himself.

Michael repeatedly pokes his side frantically, “See!” he says. “He’s perfect for you!”

Calum laughs at his friend’s relentless tickling, “Shut up, Mike. He’s just doing his job,” he says, looking down at Duke when he feels his head nudge against his leg.

Michael scoffs, “Nothing professional about the way he was eyeing you up, Cal,” he says, taking a sip of his drink. Calum feels a flutter in his chest at Michael’s words, but just shakes his head. 

Billy Idol’s _White Wedding_ blares out when the man pushes the door open, carrying a silver bowl, eyes focused on Duke. He stops at the table and crouches down again, placing the bowl in front of Duke, mumbling out “There you go, love,” as Duke gratefully takes a drink, before standing and addressing the two men. “Just give me a shout if you guys want anything else,” he says, eyes trained on Calum as he walks back towards the door. 

Calum just stares back, hearing Michael say, “Thanks, we will!” louder than necessary, making Calum jump a little in his seat. He looks at his friend, finding him smiling smugly again.

“Oh, fuck off, mate,” he says, feeling his cheeks heat up. He changes the subject before Michael starts up his teasing again, asking him about a new song he’s been working on. 

Over the next hour, the two sip their drinks and bring each other up to speed on their lives. On Michael’s new breakthrough song and Calum’s new plot idea for his book. Every now and then, Calum will feel a small pull on his chair as Duke stands up and tries to get the waiter’s attention, letting out small whimpers when he walks past with plates of food. More than once, Calum is interrupted by Duke barking as the man walks by, his tail picking up speed as the man bends down a little to scratch behind his ears quickly before continuing his working. 

Calum is finishing the last of his drink when he sees a flash of red walk by, his hand automatically threading through Duke’s fur to calm him. His eyes are trained on the waiter’s back, seeing how his shirt is sticking to his skin in the heat and admiring the flush of pink on his neck as he talks and laughs with the other customers. He swallows thickly around his mouthful of lemonade when he feels Michael smack him upside the head. He blinks in surprise as he stumbles to put his glass down and turns to his friend, who is looking back at him exasperatedly. 

“You’re impossible,” Michael says, shaking his head and getting his wallet out of his pocket. He pulls out a few notes and pushes them into Calum’s hand. “Go pay for our fuckin’ drinks, I know you’re dying to talk to him again.” 

Calum starts to shake his head and opens his mouth to protest as Michael pushes him away from the table, “No, go,” he says, sternly. “You’re making me feel sick with all this lovesick staring. I’ll grab Duke, you go flirt in peace,” he finishes with a pointed look, and Calum knows he’s fighting a losing battle. 

He takes a deep breath and fiddles with the money in his hand before walking towards the entrance. He makes his way through the small crowd of customers, stopping at the bar and tapping on the surface nervously, looking around for the waiter. He’s looking back around the cafe when he hears a soft voice coming from his left.

“Hey, can I help you?”

Calum’s head snaps towards the voice and he sees the waiter smiling back at him, his hands moving over the edge of the bar beneath him. Calum just stares for a second before he remembers he was asked a question. “Hey, yeah, um, just the bill, please,” he says, waving the money in his hand in front of him. 

The waiter’s face falls for a second before his smile is back in full force, “Oh yeah, of course!” he says, finding the receipt and ringing the order through the till. “That’ll be $8, please,” he continues, taking the money Calum offers him with a small thank you. He turns back to sort some change and Calum looks back through the glass doors, watching as Michael makes a crude hand gesture, cracking himself up. Calum feels himself blushing as he turns back just as the waiter turns around. “Here,” he says, quietly, dropping some coins into Calum’s open hand, his fingers brushing Calum’s gently. 

Calum stares at their hands as he mutters a soft thank you in return. He lifts his head and sees the man’s eyes trained on him and Calum just can’t help himself as he says, “Hey, so, you got Duke’s name earlier, but he didn’t get yours.”

The air is thick between them as Calum blinks, surprised that he said that, and just as he thinks to retract his words, the man laughs out loud, and it’s beautiful. Calum is frozen as the sound replays in his head.

“Oh really? How rude of me,” the man says, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his hair, his smile beaming. 

Calum feels his smile mimic his, “I know, he hasn't stopped talking about you since we’ve been out there,” he says, a laugh escaping his lips. “He’s desperate to know.”

The man’s eyes glisten as he replies, “Well, you can tell _Duke,_ that my name is Ashton.”

Calum laughs as he realises Ashton has seen right through him, “I’ll be sure to tell him, my name is Calum,” he says, watching as Ashton’s eyes crinkle at the corners with the new information. “He really has taken a shine to you, he isn’t usually like this with new people,” Calum says, looking back to where Michael is holding onto Duke’s lead. Even with a heavy door between them, Calum can tell that Duke is whining as he looks at the two men inside, his tail swaying behind him. 

“Well, I’m truly honoured, he’s lovely,” Ashton says, drawing Calum’s eyes back to him. Ashton is looking over Calum’s shoulder, watching Duke with a soft smile on his face and Calum is so gone for him already. 

He takes a deep breath before talking again, a teasing lilt to his voice, “He did mention wanting to get your number, too, to you know, keep in touch,” he says, smiling more and more as he watches Ashton’s amused expression grow.

Ashton is biting down on his lips, trying to conceal a smile, but failing miserably as he bursts out laughing, “I wouldn't want to disappoint him, here,” he says, taking Calum’s receipt, quickly jotting down his phone number on the back and pushing it across the bar into Calum’s hand. “You tell Duke to text me later, I’ll be waiting,” he says, teeth digging into his bottom lip.

“I will, I mean, Duke will,” Calum promises, laughing and looking down as he carefully slips the paper into his pocket. Ashton lifts his hand in a small wave, breathing out a soft “Bye, Cal,” as Calum opens the door and walks back out into the sweltering heat. 

Duke yips excitedly and jumps where he’s standing, pulling on his lead to get closer to Calum. Calum meets Michael’s teasing eyes and can’t help but grin back at him as he says, “I told you so,” pushing against Calum’s shoulder and handing Duke over to him. Calum just shrugs him off and smiles down at the ground. As they start to walk away from the cafe, Duke stops and whines, looking back towards the doors. Calum kneels down, following Duke’s longing gaze, seeing Ashton milling around behind the bar, a secret smile on his face. He beams as he looks down at Duke, holding his face in his hands. 

“Don’t worry, mate, we’ll be seeing a lot more of him, I’m sure of it.”


	2. I'm Down on my Daydream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> second date shenanigans

Calum checks his phone for what must be the tenth time in the last minute. Seeing no new messages, he sighs and shoves it back in to his pocket. He closes his eyes for a second, breathing in the fresh air to try and calm his beating heart. He is twenty minutes early, sitting on a wooden bench in his local park. Duke is sat between his legs, sniffing the air and panting in the heat. 

It has been just under a week since Calum had met Ashton, he’d only waited two hours before texting the waiter. 

_“hey, it’s duke,”_ He had typed as a joke, then accidentally sent it instead of tapping the delete button. He had fumbled with his phone, regretting it immediately, quickly following it up with,

_“sorry. no but really, hey it’s calum”_

He had paced around his flat as he waited for a reply, feeling like he'd already fucked it all up. He’d thrown his phone down onto the sofa after a few minutes with no reply, sliding down to the floor to sit with Duke. He had jumped a mile when his phone chimed, waking up a very disgruntled dog when he dived on to the sofa cushions to check the notification.

_“Hey Duke! How are you buddy? Have you been on any nice walks lately?”_

Calum had read the text over and over again, laughing and falling back to the floor. He found himself agreeing with Michael, maybe this guy was perfect for him. 

Since then the two had texted non-stop, about their days, with Ashton reciting stories of his customers and Calum made sure to send him updates on Duke. Two days ago Calum had messaged a photo of Duke, who had been looking out of the window in to the garden. He captioned it _“i think he misses you, would you like to walk him sometime?”_ Ashton had replied _“Yeah, I’d love that!”_ and they’d agreed to meet at a local park, not too far from where Ashton worked. 

That’s where Calum finds himself now, constantly looking around, hoping Ashton will appear. He leans down and threads his fingers through the longer fur on Duke’s back, something that always soothes him. Duke turns to look at him, his tail wagging and sniffing his other hand, as if he can sense Calum’s nerves. 

Calum smiles down at his dog as he lets his thoughts run free in his head. His and Ashton’s texts have been flirtatious, that much is obvious. He’s sure he's driven Michael mad this past week, always grinning or laughing at his screen, refusing to expand and causing his friend to just smile and shake his head. But even with the knowledge of their mutual attraction to each other, Calum still doesn't know if today is a date or just a friendly dog walk. Neither of them have explicitly said the word _date,_ but Calum _really_ hopes it’s a date. 

He’s brought out of his thoughts when Duke barks excitedly and almost pulls Calum’s arm out of its socket with the force of the pull on his lead. Calum’s eyes take a second to focus, but when they do he’s met with a beautiful sight. 

Ashton is walking towards where they are sitting, a beaming smile on his face, his eyes bright even from metres away. He’s wearing a short sleeved striped shirt and tight jeans, his hair looks more curly than it was when they last met and Calum can’t help the way his fingers itch with the need to run through the red locks. 

Ashton’s eyes meet his for a moment before focusing on the jumping dog in front of him. 

“Hey mate,” he says, the same sweet voice he used the last time they saw each other. “How’s my favourite boy?” He asks as he stops before them, bending down to stroke Duke, laughing as he accepts kisses off him. 

Calum couldn't stop the smile that takes over his face if he tried. He watches on fondly until Ashton looks up at him, grinning. 

“Hi,” he says softly. 

Calum swallows before he speaks, his throat suddenly dry. “Hey Ash, nice to see you,” he says, his voice coming out dreamily. Ashton’s gaze doesn't leave his for a long moment, their eyes communicating wordlessly as Ashton kneels in front of him and Duke. Calum’s mouth opens a few times but nothing comes out, he doesn’t know how he could get any words out when Ashton is staring so intensely at him. 

Their staring contest is interrupted by a very impatient Duke, as he lets out a whine and wiggles where he sits between them. Calum watches as Ashton blinks quickly and shakes himself a little, looking down at Duke with that easy smile that Calum could see himself falling for. 

“Sorry, Duke,” Ashton says, grinning as the dog perks up at his name.

“He can be so grumpy sometimes,” Calum says because he doesn't know what else to say. He’s awarded with another winning smile from Ashton and he cannot stop himself when he smiles back. 

“He’s lovely, grumpy or not,” Ashton says as he gives Duke one more scratch behind his ear and stands up. Calum takes another slow breath when he’s met with Ashton up close, trying to calm himself down. He doesn't know how he’s going to get through the day without blurting out something stupid whenever Ashton looks at him. “Shall we?” Ashton says, gesturing around them.

“Oh, yeah! Course,” Calum says, grabbing Duke’s lead tightly in his hand as he wills his legs to move. “There is a great ice cream stand in this park somewhere if you fancy it.”

Ashton’s shoulder bumps in to his gently as they start to walk along the path, Calum doesn't know if it was intentional or an accident, but the simple touch still sends a thrill through his veins. “Yeah, that sounds amazing, it’s perfect ice cream weather,” Ashton says, grinning up at the sky. 

Calum grins again in agreement, fiddling with the sunglasses on his head. 

“So, how’s your week been?” he says, hoping that Ashton will take control of the conversation, for his sake. He also just really likes Ashton’s voice. 

Ashton launches in to a story of a particularly difficult customer who complained that his food took too long to arrive. 

“So he demanded to talk to the manager, then when I told him _I_ was the manager, he looked me over as if I was lying, like I wasn't professional enough to have an actual good job or whatever,” Ashton says, and despite the nature of the story, he’s still smiling. “So I tried to explain that his food was on its way, by the way, this was only about five minutes after he’d ordered,” Calum noted that Ashton’s hands move a lot when he talks, and he couldn't take his eyes off him as he laughed at all the right moments. 

“In the end I didn't even have to tell him to leave, one of my regulars stood up, walked over to us and said, I think his words were, _“Fuck off back to hole you crawled out of.””_

Calum burst out laughing, watching on as Ashton joined in, his eyes crinkling at the corners. 

“It was fantastic, I still don't know how I kept a straight face while the guy just stood there, mouth gawping in shock,” Ashton says through his giggles. “As soon as he’d slammed the door behind him, I broke down, all the other customers were laughing too, it was brilliant.” He shakes his head as he remembers. “The regular got his coffee and cake on the house, and I think his legacy will live on forever in the cafe,” he says, his voice taking on a serious tone for a moment before he laughs again. 

Calum shakes his head too, his laughs settling down as their shoulders brush again.

“So yeah, that pretty much sums up my week,” Ashton says, shrugging as if he hadn't just told a full tale. “I’ve got to say though, your offer to just walk around a park came at the most perfect time, I needed something like this,” he says, voice much softer, looking between Calum and Duke, a secret smile on his face. 

Calum smiles back, “That’s good to hear, I’m glad we could do this,” he says, his voice quiet but sure. 

“Me too, Cal,” Ashton says, his voice just as certain, making Calum look away as he feels his face heat up. 

They walk in comfortable silence for a short while until they find the ice cream stand. They place their orders, a mint choc-chip for Calum and a rum and raisin for Ashton, and Calum takes his wallet out. 

“These are on me,” he says as he sees Ashton reach in to his back pocket. Ashton opens his mouth to protest, but Calum cuts him off. “I asked you here, so I’m paying, it’s the rules,” he says with a laugh as Ashton rolls his eyes fondly. 

“Fine, but I’m paying next time,” Ashton says, causing Calum to fumble with his change as he understands the implication. There will be a next time. 

He stuffs his wallet back in to his pocket and looks at Ashton, who is biting his bottom lip. “Deal,” he says quietly, and Ashton smiles brightly as he thanks the vender and takes his ice cream. 

They walk to a nearby picnic bench to eat, Duke trotting happily at their feet. Calum sits down and smiles as Duke takes a seat at his legs, looking between him and Ashton, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. 

“So, did you get that new chapter started? Last you told me, you’d been stuck,” Ashton says, licking at the melting cone in his hand. 

Calum wills himself to look away from Ashton’s tongue, instead confirming that he had started to write again, after he’d forced himself to relax, by playing his favourite writing playlist and focusing on the laptop screen in front of him. 

That’s how the conversation continued, Calum telling Ashton his rough plot lines and promising to let him read some of it after Ashton had asked. Ashton is chewing the last of his ice cream cone when Duke makes himself known to the two of them again. He jumps up at Ashton’s legs, his small paws resting on his knees and wagging his tail when the man’s hands automatically come down to support him. 

“Duke, no,” Calum starts to say, but Ashton just waves him off. 

“Don’t worry,” he says to Calum, but his eyes are still on Duke. “You okay, bud?” he says, laughing when Duke’s back paws shuffle on the floor with the force of his wagging tail. 

Calum shakes his head, still in awe of how quickly Duke has taken to a new person. 

“He really loves you, what kind of magic spell have you cast on my dog?” Calum says.

Ashton laughs, “I honestly have no idea, maybe he can sense that I’m a dog person?” he says, watching as Duke tilts his head as if he can understand what Ashton is saying. “Is that it?” he asks. 

Duke yips happily, making both men laugh. 

“Come on then, little one, lets see more of this park, ey?” Ashton says to Duke before looking back to Calum with a grin. Calum nods, standing up and laughing when Duke almost pulls him over with the force of his excitement. 

They walk and talk as they do laps of the park, stopping every now and then when Duke wants to sniff at trees or when they meet other dogs. Ashton tells Calum about when he started working at the cafe and Calum tells him the story of how he rescued Duke. In the time between them finishing their ice creams and now, their hands have bumped against each others almost constantly. Calum’s lips have twitched each time he’s felt Ashton’s fingers brush his and as they walk under a leafy archway, Ashton gently takes his hand. Calum smiles at the ground as he threads their fingers together, listening as Ashton’s voice wavers briefly as he speaks, blushing when Calum meets his eyes. Calum gives him a gentle smile and Ashton smiles back, continuing his story as their hands sway between them. 

Calum lets his voice wash over him as he thinks about how perfect this moment is. In one hand he’s holding the hand of the most beautiful, interesting person he’s ever met, and in the other he’s holding the lead of his dog, who is walking slowly beneath them, but occasionally lifts his head to look between the two, as if he’s checking they're both still there. 

The sun is lower now, and Calum realises they’ve been out for a few hours and he knows Duke will be feeling tired. His left hand squeezes Ashton’s hand in his grip before he says, “I should probably be getting Duke home soon, I keep forgetting he’s an old man,” he laughs. 

Ashton’s expression falters for a second, just a quick flash of sadness before he smiles again, “Yeah, of course, I understand,” he says, looking down at a slow moving Duke. 

Calum weighs his options; he needs to take Duke home for some food and water, but he’s nowhere near ready to say goodbye to Ashton yet. “You can come with us, if you want? I mean, if you have no other plans,” he rambles. 

Ashton’s smile grows with each word Calum says. “Yeah, I’d like that. No other plans.”

Calum nods and looks down at his feet to conceal his own wide grin, “Great, lets…” his voice trails off as they walk together, hand in hand, towards Calum’s flat. 

—*—

“Sorry about the mess,” Calum mumbles when he ushers Ashton through the door. He unclips Duke’s lead from his collar, the dog trotting over to his water bowl to take a long drink. Calum’s eyes quickly gaze around the room, hoping he hasn't left the place in too bad of a state. When he looks to Ashton, the other man is taking it all in, his eyes travelling from the framed posters on the walls to the bookcase, which is overflowing with books. Calum watches as a small smile comes across Ashton’s face and their eyes meet. 

“It’s lovely,” he says earnestly. “Really homey, an organised mess,” he jokes.

Calum laughs lightly, “Yes, exactly,” he says, taking his sunglasses off his head and placing them on a book tower on the coffee table. “Do you want something to drink? Coffee? Beer?” 

Ashton’s fingers play with the hem of his shirt as he nods, “Beer would be good, thanks,” he says, his voice quiet as he continues to survey the room. 

Calum nods in return, “Cool, I’ll grab some bottles. You make yourself comfortable, have a proper look around,” he says, pointing at the kitchen behind him. “I’ll be right back.”

Calum walks backwards, not taking his eyes off Ashton until he has to, walking towards his fridge and taking out two bottles of beer. He opens them slowly and rests on the counter for a second, trying to will his heart to slow down. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes briefly, feeling like he’s been holding his breath all day. He opens his eyes and shakes his head, gripping the bottles in his hands and making his way back in to his living room. 

All of his nerves seems to float away when he sees Ashton. He is sat on the sofa next to a sprawled out Duke, who has his head resting on Ashton’s knee and a paw on his leg. He looks the most content Calum has seen him in a long while. Ashton’s long fingers are threading through Duke’s fur, as he looks down at the snoozing dog, a peaceful smile on his face. 

As if he can sense eyes on him, Ashton lifts his head up and looks at Calum, who is still stood in the doorway, clutching their drinks in his vice grip. 

“Hey,” Ashton whispers as if to not wake Duke. “He’s knocked out,” he says, laughing and nodding down to the dog. 

Calum’s legs move of their own accord, walking towards the pair, placing the glass bottles on the table gently, not wanting to disrupt the peace. He takes a seat on the cushion on the other side of Duke, one hand reaching to stroke his fur as a way of grounding himself. He rests his other arm over the back of the chair, his fingers close to Ashton’s shoulder. 

“He looks happy though,” Calum whispers back, smiling when Duke lifts his head up briefly, his tail wagging weakly once before dropping his head back down to Ashton’s thigh. The two men laugh, their eyes locking again. “He doesn’t even care about me anymore, you’ve stolen my dog from me,” Calum says teasingly. 

Ashton smirks lightly, “That was my plan all along,” he says, “Oh well, it means you’ll have to keep me around for a bit longer, won’t you?” He looks down for a second, as if he doesn't want to see Calum’s face when he answers. 

Calum swallows before he speaks, his voice coming out in a breath, “Yeah, I suppose I will.”

Ashton’s head snaps up, his eyes slightly wider than before and a grin on his face. Calum smiles back as he watches Ashton try and fail to conceal his happiness, trying to hide his face in the sofa cushion. Calum lets out a giggle, his hand coming down to rest on Ashton’s shoulder, his thumb gently moving over the fabric of his shirt. Their eyes meet again and Calum feels like he could fly right now. “Who knew Duke would be such a good wingman?” he says through his smile.

Ashton’s head falls back, his curls brushing Calum’s hand, and Calum wants nothing more than to thread his fingers through his hair. 

“Oh yeah, he was a real smooth talker,” Ashton says, his face and voice soft. “Had me hooked from the start.”

Calum tilts his head to the side, feeling his face heat up and his eyes narrow with the force of his smile. “Really?” he asks.

Ashton looks down and Calum feels a touch on his hand. Ashton’s gentle fingers lift his own, their fingers finding space between each other, resting back down on Duke’s soft fur. “Yeah, from the first look,” Ashton says. 

Their bodies drift together naturally, getting closer until their faces are a breath apart. “Me too,” Calum says, eyes trained on Ashton’s lips, only closing them when Ashton closes the gap, pressing their mouths together in a gentle kiss. Calum lets out a sweet sigh against Ashton’s soft lips, feeling Ashton’s eyelashes tickle his own cheeks. They stay close for a short while, their lips moving slowly against each other, before Calum pulls away, not wanting to push. 

Calum leans back, his teeth biting down on his lip to conceal his smile. He watches as Ashton takes a moment to open his eyes, his mouth still pursed in a kiss, his breathing coming out in short pants. His eyes flutter open as his soft gaze lands on Calum, taking a second to just look at him, both sharing a smile. 

Their faces are still close and Calum can feel Ashton’s warm breath on his face when he whispers, “Come here,” gently pulling Calum’s face in again with his hand on the back of his head. Calum goes without question, letting his eyes fall closed and lifting his hand off Ashton’s shoulder, instead finally getting his fingers in his hair, feeling the soft strands against his fingers. They kiss deeper this time, Ashton running a hand through Calum’s hair from his forehead to the nape of his neck, his tongue teasing at the opening of Calum’s lips. Calum opens his mouth gratefully, letting Ashton’s tongue gently lick inside. Ashton lets out a soft moan when their tongues meet wetly and Calum swallows it eagerly, his hand gripping Ashton’s hair. 

Their lips slow down some, the kiss turning lazy and sensual. Calum runs his hand down Ashton’s chest and lifts his knee on to the sofa, jostling Duke who is still lying between them. Calum hums against Ashton’s lips, hearing Ashton let out an answering sound. Calum is rubbing a hand over Ashton’s side, feeling him shiver under his touch when Duke jumps up, standing between the two men before diving and licking over their close faces. 

Ashton pulls away, their lips making a soft smacking noise, and bursts out laughing, trying to avoid Duke’s insistent kisses. Calum is openly giggling now, reaching over to restrain an overly excited Duke, dodging kisses himself. He looks up and finds Ashton beaming back at him, his face lit up with happiness. Calum grins back, feeling like this is one of the best moments of his life. 

Ashton gently grabs Duke’s face in his hands, “I’m sorry, darling, did you want a kiss, too?” he says, laughing at Duke’s wiggling body before he pulls him in to his chest, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. Calum watches on as Ashton grins down at Duke, accepting a lick to his neck before he gently pushes the dog away. Duke settles down between them again, but he’s still looking up at Ashton dreamily, as if he hung the moon. 

Calum relaxes back in to the sofa cushions, his hand still resting at Ashton’s waist as he looks down at his dog. He finds himself agreeing with his dog, thinking _‘yeah, bud, me too.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoyed!
> 
> pls let me know in the comments  
> xxx


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